This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. The animal behaviour and instrumental observations in SPSC were performed by author GDL which designed the study. Author CF installed the electromagnetic detector, managed the discussion and final manuscript, he performed the statistical analysis of the Radon data. Author AV performed the observations in Luserna San Giovanni. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

The complex synergy of various non-seismic precursor phenomena renders difficult to specify what are the chemical and physical parameters, whose variations give more problems to the animal and plant kingdoms. Local seismic events are generally seldom announced by anomalous animal behaviours. Unfortunately we do not understand animal languages or their meaningful vocal modulations. Moreover, many animal alarms are not acknowledged. A number of animal and human observations in Northern Italy are reported, which can suggests physical observations potentially connected with seismic events. The study of seismic precursors is still in its infancy, the error margin on temporal and spatial forecast is still large and must be evaluated. Being so, a multiple parameter physical monitoring started recently in Western Piedmont, which is useful to propose the study of seismic precursors possibly linked to animal behaviour. Electric and magnetic detectors were operating together with alpha particle and acoustic detectors, while a collection of anomalous biological and meteorological observations were taken. Variations in the recent years of the magnetic declination revealed to be a good candidate to precursor, related to the direction of compression, traction and stretching on rocks, even if the geographic localization of future earthquakes is still impossible. In case of some local unusual animal behaviours it can suggest the occurrence of a local seismic event with epicentre distance ≤ 100 km. Statistical information on warnings from local dogs and cats are given.

The unusual animal behaviour, often observed before earthquakes in a moderate seismic area in Western Piedmont (NW Italy), can be connected with the anomalies of some physical parameters, recorded in a multiple parameters monitoring. Physical phenomena such as radioactive decay, gas emission, soil temperature increase, water pH variations in creeks and lakes, magnetic declination anomalies, air electricity and infra-sound, can generate damages to biological structures or, sometimes, death. A multiple parameters physical monitoring started recently in Western Piedmont, which is useful to propose the study of seismic precursors possibly linked to animal behaviour. Observations of unusual animal behaviour as vocal communications and movements were collected in the same area. A statistical analysis of strange behaviours in dogs and cats may indicate the probable early warning factor of the sense of smell.

Abstract.A large amount of long lasting experiments, carried out by the first author with the supervision of coauthoring experts in electrical imaging and Turin Shroud (TS) studies, was addressed to obtain TS-like impressions. To this end, the experiments was especially performed by using conducting objects previously enveloped in two-folded cloths, then inserted into a gap bounded by a pair of rocky plates. The prerequisite for image formation seems to be an especially abundant emission of radon, related to earthquakes, ultimately giving rise to a macro-scale background electric field of the order of 1 kV/m in the gap and, more importantly, to micro-scale field amplification. This additional field is localized in the air filled interstices of the exposed fabric, thus causing consequent aging. In spite of the complicate and unpredictable character of the natural phenomenology under examination, the investigators succeeded in categorizing different kinds of impressions and selecting one of them as being thoroughly successful. Specifically, the images of the selected category do exhibit basic physicochemical and optical features distinctive of the figure impressed on the Turin Shroud.

A monitoring of multiple physical parameters in a moderate seismic area in Western Piedmont (NW Italy) and the simultaneous observation of the behaviour of numerous species of domestic and wild animals gave in a period of over twenty years the possibility to distinguish the unusual animal behaviours due to local earthquake nucleation from other causes. In particular, the observation of the body and vocal language of dogs (Canis familiaris) in the same area has permitted not only to specify the different meanings of vocal language in connection to their body language, but also to classify the minimum elements into a vocal language that is linked together by tonal and rhythmical sequences of sounds that form a semantic lexicon. The usage of the same tonal and rhythmical vocal sequences in similar or identical situations, which are experienced by different groups of dogs, induces us to verify whether it could be possible to link particular vocal sequences to precise physical anomalies before earthquakes. The individuation of physical anomalies due to an earthquake nucleation or due to a hydro-geological destabilization, is possible thanks to a continuous long-term monitoring of some parameters. Moreover, the complexity of the vocal language of dogs increases if the dogs live in an area with a law population density. Then the correlation between some vocal sequences and some seismic precursors is better if dogs live free in yard or on farms, if they are in good health, and if they can establish a strong social relation of group. When dogs live closed in yards of houses that are far apart, they communicate with each other with an amazing vocal language, full of questions and answers, imitations of sequences, and information about situations that may be harmful to them.